Lubricated feed plate



1, 1964 R. J. H. vANDEwouwER LUBRICATED FEED PLATE Filed July 20, 1962 INVENTOR.

mnt ATTCENE'YS United States Patent O 3,159,125 LUBRICATED FEED PLATE Rene J. H. Vandewouwer, 1818 N. Nolden, Los Angeles 42, Calif. Filed July 20, 1962, Ser. No. 211,308 7 Claims. (Cl. 112-260) This invention relates to improvements in sewing machine tables, and more particularly to a novel lubricated fabric feed plate therefor which facilitates sliding of fabrics thereon to the needles of sewing machines.

When laminated or other fabrics are moved across the tables of sewing machines and under the needles thereof, the fabrics do not slide with suiicient smoothness and control, but tend to buckle, stretch, and stick. The primary object of the present invention is the provision of a lubricated feed plate, either as an attachment for sewing machine tables, or as a built-in feature thereof, which enables fabrics to be moved across the tables and under the needles of sewing machines evenly, easily, and uniformly, so that sewing of fabrics can be done easily, accurately, and effortlessly, without more than ordinary skill.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a simple and inexpensive plate of the character indicated above, which is adapted to be installed upon the upper surfaces of sewing machine tables, immediately adjacent to the plates beneath the foot of a sewing machine, the feed plate having a perforated upper wall through which lubricating oil, stored in the feed plate, is applied -to the undersurface of fabric passed over the feed plate, whereby easy and even sliding of the fabric thereacross is obtained.

Other important objects and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein, for purposes of illustration only, a specific form of the invention is set forth in detail.

In the drawings:

FIGURE l is a fragmentary and schematic perspective view of a sewing machine equipped with a feed plate of the present invention, a piece of fabric being shown being advanced over the feed plate;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical transverse section taken on the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1; and,

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary schematic perspective View, partly broken away and in section, showing one means of applying lubricating oil to the absorbent pad of the feed plate.

Referring in detail to the drawings, wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, the illustrated feed plate, generally designated 10, is of rectangular, preferably elongated shape, with its length adapted to be disposed transversely of the upper surface 12 of the table 14 of a sewing machine M, having a throat plate 16 disposed beneath and adapted to be penetrated by a vertical needle 18, with which is associated a pressure foot 20, beneath which a piece of fabric F is ad-apted to be fed. The fabric F can be a single ply of material or be laminated and composed of a lower layer 22 and an overlying upper layer 24, as shown in FIGURE 2. In the cases of laminated fabrics, the objectionable buckling and stretching of the layers relative to each other is more pronounced than in the case of single layer fabrics.

The feed plate comprises a flat housing composed of relatively thin upper and lower sheets 26 and 28, respectively, of metal or plastic material, which are connected together, at least at their forward and rear edges, respectively, in 4any suitable manner, as by means of end walls 30 and 32. As shown, lthe sheets 26 and 28 can be components of a single blank, with the connections 30 and 32 formed as bends in the blank. The lower sheet 28 is imperforate, but the upper sheet 26 is formed, over lCC the major part of its surface, with evenly distributed perforations 34, of sufficient size to enable efficient and uniform transfer of suitable lubricating uid, such as lubricating oil or the like, through the perforations, to the undersurface of a piece of fabric F, passed over the upper sheet 26, from an absorbent pad 36, confined between the upper and lower sheets. The pad 36 preferably extends to the end walls 30 and 32, at the ends of the plates, and to the side edges of the plates. It will be understood that the lterm lubricating iluid as used herein, comprehends ordinary lubricating oil of suitable viscosity, and any other suitable lubricating fluids or oil compositions. It will be obvious that the side edges of the upper and lower sheets 26 and 28 can be connected together, as indicated at 38 in FIGURE 3, as with walls similar to the end walls 30 and 32 at -the ends of the pad 36, so that such side connections and the end connections preclude escape of lubricating fluid from the housing.

Where the upper surface 12 of a sewing machine table 14 is ush with the upper surface of the throat plate 16, i-t may be preferable, in order to coincide the upper surface of such plate with the upper surface of the feed plate 10, to recess the upper surface of the table. In the event that, as shown in FIGURE 2 of the drawings, the uppersurface of the sewing machine table is on a level below the upper surface of the (throat plate 16, the feed plate 10 is laid directly upon the upper surface 12 of the table, in transverse alignment with the plate 16, and with its forward end engaged with the adjacent side edge of the plate 16. The feed plate 10 is then secured, in place, in suitable manner, as by means of screws 40, passed through the housing of the feed plate, at its side edges, and threaded into the table 14.

The .absorbent pad 36 is preferably initially supplied with lubricating uid. Whenever replenishment of lubricating uid in the pad becomes necessary, the fluid is readily applied thereto, through the perforations 34 of the upper sheet 28, as by means of an ordinary household oil can C, as shown in FIGURE 3.

In use and operation, a piece of fabric F is manually advanced, toward the sewing machine needle 18, across the feed plate 10, so that lubricating iluid present in portions of the pad 36, exposed by the perforations 34 of the upper sheet 28, is applied to the undersurface of the fabric, so that the fabric can then slide continuously `and freely and without diiculty or buckling, onto the throat plate 16, and under the sewing machine needle 18. At times, it may be advisable or necessary to obtain a greater application of lubricating fluid to the fabric, as it is passed over the feed plate 10, land this is readily obtained by applying a slight downward pressure upon the fabric, which acts to correspondingly depress the perforated sheet 26 and squeeze more lubricating iluid from the pad 36 and through the perforations 34.

Although there has been shown and described a preferred form of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not necessarily confined thereto, and that any change or changes in the structure of and in the relative arrangements of components thereof are contemplated as being within the scope of the invention as dened by the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

l. In combination, a sewing machine having a table, a throat plate substantially on a level with the upper surface of the table, a vertically reciprocable needle supported over the throat plate and normally spaced thereabove, and a lubricated feed plate secured upon the table at the approach side of the throat plate and having a lubricated upper surface across which material is adapted to be fed onto the throat plate to the needle, said feed pl-ate having an apertured upper sheet, and a lubricantcontaining pad supported beneath said upper sheet.

2. In combination, a sewing machine having a table, a throat plate substantially on ra level with the upper surface of the table, a vertically reciprocable needle supported over Ithe throat plate and normally spaced thereabove, and a lubricated feed plate secured upon the table at the approach side of the throat plate and having a lubricated upper surface across which material is adapted to be yfed onto the throat plate to the needle, said feed plate comprising ta flat housing having an imperforate lower sheet bearing upon the upper surface of the table, and Ian apertured upper sheet, and a lubricant-containing pad confined in the housing between the sheets and exposed through the perforations of the upper sheet.

3. In combination, a sewing machine having a table, a throat pla-te substantially on a level with the upper surface of the table, a vertically reciprocable needle supported over the throat plate and normally spaced thereabove, and a lubricated feed plate secured upon the table at the approach side of the throat plate -and having a lubricated upper surface across which material is adapted to be fed onto the throat plate to the needle, said feed plate comprising a flat housing having lan imperforate lower sheet bearing upon the upper surface of the table, and an apertured upper sheet, and a lubricant-containing pad confined in the housing between the sheets and eX- posed through the perforations of the upper sheet, said pad being labsorbent and containing lluid lubricant.

4. A lubricated sewing machine table feed plate comprising an upper sheet of limited resilience having perforations, and a lubricant-containing pad underlying said upper sheet exposed through the perforations.

5. A lubricated sewing machine table feed plate comprising =a ilat housing having an imperforated lower sheet and a perforated upper sheet, tand a lubricant-containing pad conlined in the housing between the upper and lower sheets, and exposed -through the perforations of the upper sheet.

6. A lubricated sewing machine table feed plate comprising a at housing having an imperforated lower sheet and a perforated upper sheet, and a lubricant-containing pad conlined in the housing between the upper and lower sheets, and exposed through the perforations of the upper I sheet, said pad being absorbent and containing uid lubricant.

7. A lubricated sewing machine table feed plate comprising a tlat housing having an imperforated lower sheet and a perforated upper sheet, and a lubricant-containing I pad conlned in the housing between the upper and lower sheets, and exposed through the perforations of the upper sheet, said pad being absorbent and containing uid lubricant, and irnperforate side and end walls connecting 

1. IN COMBINATION, A SEWING MACHINE HAVING A TABLE, A THROAT PLATE SUBSTANTIALLY ON A LEVEL WITH THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE TABLE, A VERTICALLY RECIPROCABLE NEEDLE SUPPORTED OVER THE THROAT PLATE AND NORMALLY SPACED THEREABOVE, AND A LUBRICATED FEED PLATE SECURED UPON THE TABLE AT THE APPROACH SIDE OF THE THROAT PLATE AND HAVING A LUBRICATED UPPER SURFACE ACROSS WHICH MATERIAL IS ADAPTED TO BE FED ONTO THE THROAT PLATE TO THE NEEDLE, SAID FEED PLATE HAVING AN APERTURED UPPER SHEET, AND A LUBRICANTCONTAINING PAD SUPPORTED BENEATH SAID UPPER SHEET. 